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Normal

A Community in Conflict

6 items

1917
In 1917 Bloomington-Normal’s street railway workers were unhappy about their pay and the number of days they worked per week. They organized a union to consolidate their power, hopeful that change would happen.

Digital Exhibit

1939
Black students could attend Illinois State Normal University as early as the 1870s. But if they could not find off-campus housing in Bloomington or Normal, that opportunity disappeared.

Digital Exhibit

1967
In 1967 ISU adopted affirmative action and began a concerted effort to recruit Black students. But an open housing ordinance had not been passed in Normal, and the ability of Black students to find housing was limited because of discriminatory housing practices. In addition, realtors refused to show homes to Black professionals in white neighborhoods.

Digital Exhibit

1969
Local residents held diverse views on whether American military forces should be involved in the Vietnam War. As the war progressed and it became more evident that victory would not be easily achieved, tensions rose.

Digital Exhibit

1978
In 1971 the Town of Normal decided to hire and pay full-time firefighters — they had previously been volunteers. In 1975 all 27 members of the department organized Local #2442 in order to ensure bargaining power when it came time for contract negotiations.

Digital Exhibit

1994
On December 15, 1994 Diamond Star Motors (DSM) was slapped with a lawsuit charging the company with sexual and racial harassment and discrimination.

Digital Exhibit

Articles

22 items

A light-skinned man stands in a dark plaid 3-piece suit, tie, and hat. He's outdoors, with grasses and trees in the background. He has both hands in his pocket. Superimposed on the photo is a booklet title

Area’s deadliest cholera outbreak in 1855
During the summer of 1855, cholera swept through Bloomington and outlying communities. It was o...

Article

A scale birds-eye illustration of the Baby fold buildings. There are two large buildings connected in a T shape in the foreground, with three smaller identical buildings on the left, and one other building in the lower right.

Baby Fold donation shines spotlight on architect
One of the primary missions of the McLean County Museum of History is to acquire objects and pa...

Article

BroMenn donation speaks to 125 years of community service
Carle BroMenn Medical Center has undergone one transformation after another since its modest be...

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A man kneels, inserting an American flag next to a grave stone in a cemetery.

Central Illinois final resting place for once-enslaved persons
The stain of slavery pervades the American experience, dating well before the nation’s founding...

Article

Located at the corner of Madison and Monroe streets in downtown Bloomington, this building served as the McLean County jail from 1882 to 1977.

Homemade Christmas dinner once a McLean County jail tradition
“Unfortunate souls who spend Christmas Day in the county jail will at least have a tasty dinner...

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ISNU welcomed veterans after WWII
After World War II, Illinois State Normal University put out the welcome mat for returning sold...

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ISU held racially segregated spring dances in the 1930s and ’40s
The racial climate throughout the United States deteriorated steadily in the first quarter of t...

Article

Santa's

Intrepid Pantagrapher paid visit to Santa’s North Pole
In 1897, 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon famously wrote the New York Sun newspaper to ask if that ...

Article

Kent State shootings spark month of campus unrest
The Vietnam War, it’s been said, was fought on two fronts—in Southeast Asia and back home, espe...

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Normal’s rich past dealt blow with razing of Fell house in 1980
Beginning in the 1960s, many fine, sturdy single-family homes dating from the 19th and early 20...

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through the haze there is a crumbled brick building, some fascade still stands but most of the brick building is rubble on the ground.

Portable Elevator plant closed in 1987
In the spring of 2018, Canadian agricultural equipment manufacturer Brandt Industries began ass...

Article

One of June Rose Colby’s most beloved possessions was a rose jar or vase (to the left of the framed photo on the table). It was her longstanding custom to place a petal in it after some wonderful experience or happy occasion.

Prof. June Rose Colby lived ‘life of the mind’
“Miss Colby was a most unusual person,” noted Helen Marshall in her centennial history of Illin...

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6 men are in this photograph, two standing at a contraption with hoses attached. The floor is wet.

Project to mark firefighter graves lesson in history
As part of a Memorial Day observance last month, active and retired Twin City firefighters plac...

Article

Scrappy Ironmen earned state berth in ’42
Three months after Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War II, Normal residents found th...

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The Bloomington standpipe towered over the city between 1876 and 1912. For 36 years, it was the tallest structure in the Twin Cities.

Standpipe once towered over Twin Cities
For 36 years, from 1876 to 1912, the tallest structure in the Twin Cities wasn’t a downtown Blo...

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WW I home front featured French-Belgian relief
The War to End All Wars, as the First World War was once called, brought out the best and the w...

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Women’s Improvement League kept Normal clean and healthy
Editor's note: This is Bill Kemp's 650th original "Page from Our Past" colu...

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‘Pop’ Dillon of Normal found baseball success in LA
Bloomington-Normal’s ties to the national pastime are long and deep. Most famously, National Ba...

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‘Pop’ Horton organized campus circus fraternity in 1929
Today marks the 38th anniversary of the death of Dr. Clifford E. Horton, one of the titans of I...

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postcard showing model of Spanish style home exterior

‘Spanish craze’ of 1920s left imprint on area architecture
American residential architecture has long favored dominant English-inspired styles. When most ...

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‘Trolley Days’ raised funds for the underprivileged
“Let the slogan of the day be, ‘Ride for Charity,’” announced the Jul. 6, 1911 Pantagraph. “Lea...

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‘Welby and Pearl,’ minstrel act with local roots
For the better part of four decades, friends Jacob Welby Bucher and Charles Carroll Fell of Blo...

Article

Blog

53 items

Angelic Coeds, September 27, 1940 Dedication of the Van Leer Chime Tower
Bill Kemp's “Page from Our Past” column in the Pantagraph (linked below) detailed the hist...

Blog Post

Campus Fashion ISNU September 1941
The Pantagraph snapped this photo for a planned “campus fashion” feature for late September or ...

Blog Post

Corn map of McLean County December 1909
The Farmers’ and Teachers’ Institute was held in mid-December 1909 at the “Normal University,” ...

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Fall Means College Football ISNU ‘Teachers,’ 1907
Back in 1907, the Illinois State Normal University Teachers (the nickname would be changed to “...

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Hog Heaven Klafke Farm, August 1942
Henry E. Klafke (presumably standing with his arms crossed) was a Normal Township breeder of Du...

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Holiness Tabernacle Normal, 1929
The Central Illinois Holiness Association, an interdenominational camp meeting grounds, is situ...

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Illinois Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home Home Band, 1930
The Sunday April 3, 2016 Pantagraph recounted the story of the Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home Band, or...

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Illinois State Normal University Homecoming Parade, October 25, 1958
The Illinois State University homecoming parade has passed through Uptown Normal since the 1920...

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Illinois State Normal University Junior-Senior Prom, 1949
Several ISNU coeds show off their gowns for the June 10, 1949 junior-senior prom. Louise Claymo...

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Jack Cruser ‘Ugliest’ Costume Winner, 1968
On Oct. 31, 1968, the Normal Parks and Recreation Department and the Optimist and Rotary clubs ...

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Jesse Fell House March 1947
Town of Normal founder Jesse Fell built this house in 1856-1857, nearly a decade before the est...

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Labor Secretary Visits Bloomington October 17, 1935
Department of Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet, s...

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McDonald’s Open for Business 806 S. Main St., Normal February 1959
An intrepid Museum staffer tracked this wonderful image down, taken in mid-February 1959 - this...

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McDonald’s in Normal 806 S. Main St., 1961
The Twin Cities first McDonald’s restaurant opened in early 1959. The view here is looking sout...

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McHistory: Depression-era post office mural chronicles development of Normal

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McHistory: Newly donated World War II diary shares POW experience of Normal resident

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McHistory: Voices Of The Past Come Alive
Listen to the audio on WGLT's website hereMcHistory goes back in time to explore big momen...

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McLean County Fairgrounds, 1956
Who remembers the old fairgrounds off Veterans Parkway? Back in 1955, the McLean County Farm Bu...

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Mennonite School of Nursing Junior-Senior banquet, May 14, 1930
Forty nurses, doctors, and supervisors attended the annual Mennonite School of Nursing banquet ...

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Normal Sanitary Dairy baseball uniform donated to Museum
The Museum recently received a Normal Sanitary Dairy baseball uniform worn during the late 1930...

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Old Main Comes Down September 9, 1958
On September 9, 1958, a one-ton wrecking ball made quick work of Illinois State University’s fi...

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Photo of the Week, 116: We Shall Overcome, October 1965
On Sunday, October 24, 1965, demonstrators from Illinois State University marched along Main St...

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Photo of the Week, 117: ISSCS Graduates, 1958
Normal was the longtime home to the state-run orphanage known as the Illinois Soldiers’ and Sai...

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Photo of the Week, 122: Watterson Towers, October 1967 -- Twenty-One Stories to Go!
Watterson Towers, a 28-story residence hall complex located on the Illinois State University ca...

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Photo of the Week, 124: ‘Swing Time’ at Victory Hall October 1935
Opened in 1919 and located at 904 Hovey Ave. in Normal, Victory Hall was a safe place for boys ...

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Photo of the Week, 129: Reserve Champions Illinois State Fair, August 17, 1949
The Illinois State Fair gets underway today in Springfield and runs through Sunday, August 23. ...

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Photo of the Week, 12: Fore!
Incorporated in 1919, Maplewood Country Club stretched southeast of Linden St. and Jersey Ave. ...

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Photo of the Week, 130: Dogs of War, 1946 Bella and Her Two Surprises
U.S. Army veteran Dwight Pierceall of Normal received quite a shock on June 6, 1946, when he op...

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Photo of the Week, 1: Bowling Association Tournament
In late January 1963, Bloomington-Normal hosted the 34th annual Illinois Women's Bowling A...

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Photo of the Week, 24: Seven ball in the corner pocket . . .
Students at the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School (ISSCS) play p...

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Photo of the Week, 32: Are you ready for some football?
Pictured here is the 1915 University High School football team. The “U Men" (the school n...

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Photo of the Week, 41: We’re Number One!
Museum to Sell Replica Redbird Cap from 1969 Championship Season On June 6, 1969, Illinois St...

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Photo of the Week, 57: Dedication of the Normal Post Office, 1936
On March 1, 1936, several hundred area residents gathered for the dedication of the Normal Post...

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Photo of the Week, 64: Redbirds Crowned National Champs in 1969
Get Your Replica Cap Today! Illinois State University's baseball team captured the NCAA C...

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Photo of the Week, 67: Welcome to Normal, 1969
Remember Hall's Tog Shop? Did anyone you know have an account at Normal State Bank, or buy...

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Photo of the Week, 75: Amen and Let's Eat!
Established in 1864/1865, the Illinois' Soldiers' Orphans' Home (later renamed I...

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Photo of the Week, 82: 'Starr' Attraction at Normal Chamber Banquet, 1969
Famed Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr was the keynote speaker at the March 26, 1969 No...

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Photo of the Week, 83: Swiped Bell Returned to Redbird Roost, September 20, 1967
Back in the 1960s when Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University still played ...

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Photo of the Week, 94: Thanksgiving at ISSCS, 1962
For more than a century, the Town of Normal was home to a state-run orphanage: the Illinois Sol...

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Photo of the Week, 96: The Most Popular Guy in the Room
On December 23, 1944, more than 600 grade school children attended the Town of Normal's th...

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Photo of the Week, 99: Calling All Cars! Normal Police Department, 1938
Seen here is Normal Police Chief James Clarence Land in mid-January 1938 with the department�...

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Photo of the Week: ISSCS Graduates, 1958
Normal was the longtime home to the state-run orphanage known as the Illinois Soldiers’ and Sai...

Blog Post

Reserve Champions Illinois State Fair, August 17, 1949
McLean County 4-H youth have an enviable record when it comes to Illinois State Fair showings. ...

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Sinoark’s ‘Frontier Room’ Opens October 1959
Located at the junction of South Main Street and the Route 66 Beltline (now Veterans Parkway), ...

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Springtime in “BloNo’ Iris Walk, 1939
Although you wouldn’t know it from this past weekend’s weather, the end of May and the beginnin...

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The Local Road to ADA Accessibility

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The Times They Have Changed! Town of Normal, 1966
This view of the Town of Normal and Illinois State University, taken in 1966 from either Hewett...

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Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust ISNU vs. IWU, November 21, 1936
llinois State Normal and Illinois Wesleyan universities were bitter gridiron rivals going all t...

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Two Pieces of World War II Accessioned into the Museum's Library and Archives
In the last week, the Museum has accessioned two unique pieces of World War II history: a P.O.W...

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Veterans Parkway as the Route 66 ‘Beltline’ December 1960
This aerial, looking due north, shows the corner of Route 66 (“D”) and Route 9 / Empire Street ...

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Wheeler Triplets, June 4, 1936 Brokaw Hospital, Normal
Brokaw Hospital maternity nurses (left to right) Mary Heinzel and Clara Keller, along with mate...

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‘Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile’ 1961 Edition
The line above comes from American poet William Cullen Bryant. Seen here is Illinois State Norm...

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‘Brick’ Young, March 1936 Pantagraph Sports Editor and Official
Normal resident Doug Rosenbaum served in the officiating crew as field judge for last weekend’s...

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Farming in the Great Corn Belt

1 item

Erosion
Intensified farming and the use of tractors caused wind and water erosion, but area farmers did...

Digital Exhibit

Finding Aids

36 items

All About Normal
The Normal City Council approved creating the “All About Normal” Civic Academy on October 16th,...

Finding Aid

Baby Fold
Nancy and Allen Mason were pioneers in Normal– moving here just after the Civil War. Nancy Maso...

Finding Aid

Beyond Normal Films
The collection includes some newspaper clippings from 1996 through 2018 about the organization,...

Finding Aid

Bloomington-Normal Garden Club
The Bloomington-Normal Garden Club was formed in 1931, originally part of the Art Association. ...

Finding Aid

Bloomington-Normal Junior Women’s Club
Women’s Clubs began to form in 1890 when the General Federation of Women’s Clubs organized. Ill...

Finding Aid

Building a Home 505 Bowles
The house at 505 Bowles, Normal, IL was built from 1951 to 1953 by Raymond W. and Evelyn Paulin...

Finding Aid

Camelback Bridge
The Camelback Bridge is located in the northeast quarter of Section 33, Township 24 North, Rang...

Finding Aid

Children and Elders Forest
Children and Elders Forest was formed in 2005 in Bloomington-Normal for charitable and educatio...

Finding Aid

Clarke, Marguerite E.
Marguerite E. (Dobson) Clarke (1916-2007) was a lifelong resident of Bloomington. She received ...

Finding Aid

Ecology Action Center
Established in the spring of 1995 as the education branch of Operation Recycle, the Ecology Act...

Finding Aid

Fell Collection
The Fell Collection includes information about the lives of brothers Jesse W. Fell, Kersey Fell...

Finding Aid

First National Bank of Normal
John W. Aldrich founded and became the first president of the First National Bank of Normal in ...

Finding Aid

Gossard, Steve Railroad
Born in Galesburg in 1949, Steve Gossard moved to Normal to study at Illinois State University ...

Finding Aid

Hall, Robert S. Diary
Normal native and lifelong resident Robert S. “Bob” Hall (1915-1976) graduated University High ...

Finding Aid

Harvey Family
This small collection along with a large collection of photographs was found in the attic of a ...

Finding Aid

Hockey
Bloomington has been the home to two indoor recreational ice rinks—The former “Skatium,” now AR...

Finding Aid

ISU Athletics
The collection includes Illinois State University football guides, basketball guides, football ...

Finding Aid

Kinser, Betty
Betty Marshall Kinser was born on November 15, 1941 in Bloomington, IN. In her youth she was kn...

Finding Aid

Mennonite Hospital Nursing
The Mennonite School of Nursing was established as the Mennonite Sanitarium Training School in ...

Finding Aid

Normal Avenue Neighborhood Club
The Normal Avenue Neighborhood Club was formed in the Spring of 1931 by Irene Buzzard and Elsie...

Finding Aid

Normal Community Garden Club
In the summer of 1939 nine women were invited to meet at the home of Mrs. Wm. (Hattie) Dickey t...

Finding Aid

Normal History Club
In the late 1800s, life in a small university town did not offer many opportunities for artisti...

Finding Aid

Normal Literary Center Collection
An adult study group, the Normal Literary Center was founded in 1896 and celebrated its 100th a...

Finding Aid

Normal Municipal
This collection includes Town of Normal publications—both general and department-specific—as we...

Finding Aid

Normal Summer Theatre
The High School Summer Theatre Program—now sponsored by the Town of Normal’s Department of Cult...

Finding Aid

Old North Normal Historic District Association
Old North Normal is the oldest intact area of continuous residential development north of Illin...

Finding Aid

One O’Clock Schoolers Club
The One O’Clock Schoolers Club is a social club whose members reside in or resided in the 500-6...

Finding Aid

Siebert, Dorothy Softball
Dorothy Anna Siebert was born October 6, 1933, in Congerville to Henry and Louise McBurney Sieb...

Finding Aid

Sister City Asahikawa
This collection contains correspondence, budgets, fundraiser information, newspaper clippings, ...

Finding Aid

Steak N Shake
Steak n Shake was founded by Gus Belt in Normal in 1934.  He converted a gas station / chicken ...

Finding Aid

University High School Reunions
Illinois State Normal University was established in 1857. In 1862 grade school and high school ...

Finding Aid

Vietnam Moving Wall
Several organizations present a "Moving Wall" -- a scaled down replica of the Vietnam...

Finding Aid

Wallace, Glen / Diamond-Star Motors / Mitsubishi Motors
Glen Wallace was an employee of Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) for more than twen...

Finding Aid

Wood, Lois Postcard
This is a collection of over 250 postcards collected by Lois Wood over the years to show life i...

Finding Aid

Wyckoff, Martin
Martin Anders Wyckoff was born in Normal, Illinois April 20, 1950, to Delmar and Elizabeth Ande...

Finding Aid

Young, Fred H.
Fred H. Young (1892-1980) was born September 21, 1892, in Normal, and graduated from Illinois W...

Finding Aid

Oral Histories

2 items

Josephine Samuels & Reginald Whittaker
Normal, IL family, business, work at Woolworth's, GTE, Baha'i...

Oral History

Wilbur Barton
Early Normal family, ISNU grad & athlete, WWII veteran, teacher/principal....

Oral History

Publications

1 item

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Normal, McLean County, Illinois 1885

Publication